In a televised address, the leader of Yemen's Houthi rebels declared their active engagement in "direct confrontation" with the United States. The group expressed determination to persist in their campaign of attacking ships in the Red Sea until Israel lifts its blockade of Gaza.
This announcement follows escalated U.S. airstrikes on Houthi targets and President Joe Biden's acknowledgment to reporters in Washington, D.C., that the current military actions have not achieved their intended results. Responding to questions about the effectiveness of the strikes, Biden admitted, "When you say working, are they stopping the Houthis? No. Are they going to continue? Yes." Notably, the White House reclassified the Houthis as a terrorist organization, reversing the delisting that occurred in 2021.
The fifth U.S. airstrike against Houthi targets in Yemen occurred late Thursday night, with American jets targeting anti-ship missiles aimed at the southern Red Sea. President Biden's remarks were seemingly validated when, shortly after, the Iran-backed rebel group launched two anti-ship ballistic missiles at a U.S.-owned tanker named the Chem Ranger. Fortunately, no injuries or damage to the ship were reported.
During a defiant hour-long speech infused with religious rhetoric, Houthi leader Abdul-Malek al-Houthi expressed it as "a great honor and blessing to be confronting America directly." He asserted that U.S. and U.K. strikes on Yemen had only enhanced his military's technology, emphasizing that their strategy, focusing on Israeli ships or those connected to Israel, was proving effective.
The disruptive impact of Houthi actions on transport and seaborne trade in the region is evident. Major ocean carriers have suspended all Red Sea and Suez Canal transport, choosing instead to navigate around Africa, resulting in substantial delays, supply bottlenecks, and billions of dollars in losses for companies.
Taking a personal jab at President Biden, al-Houthi mocked him as "an elderly man that has trouble climbing the stairs of an airplane yet is traveling 9,000 miles to attack those that wanted to stand by the oppressed people of Gaza."
The Biden administration, in collaboration with the U.K. government, initiated retaliatory strikes against the Houthis, who control most of Yemen, starting on January 12. This response followed weeks of the group carrying out numerous attacks on ships in the Red Sea. The Houthi rebels argue that their campaign is a reaction to Israel's continuous bombardment of the Gaza Strip, with perceived U.S. support for such actions.
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